by Georgina Maka’a
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele says a decision on whether Taiwan will participate in this year’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders summit will be announced soon.
Solomon Islands will host the summit, which will bring leaders from across the Pacific to Honiara, on September 8 to 12.
“Cabinet is close to concluding its deliberations on the matter,” Manele told reporters last Friday.
Earlier media reports suggest the Solomon Islands Government, at the behest of China, may not grant visas to Taiwanese officials to enter the country.
The democratic self-ruled island of Taiwan has been a development partner of the forum since 1993, enabling it to participate in the group’s events and to organize the annual dialogue.
Its three remaining Pacific allies are Palau, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu.
Beijing has been insisting that Taiwan is a province of China.
Last week, the Taiwanese Government said it will send a delegation to the Forum summit.
While acknowledging that the hosting by Solomon Islands might pose a challenge, it was still preparing to attend so that it could organise the Taiwan-Pacific Islands Forum Dialogue.
Solomon Islands has cut off all official contact with Taiwan in the wake of its decision to switch diplomatic ties to Beijing in 2019.
Last year it threw its weight behind China’s declaration that it will “reunify” the self-ruled island with the mainland. It also backed Beijing’s push to strip Taiwan of its status as a development partner for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
That frustrated leaders from the three Pacific nations which retain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, with Palau’s President Surangel Whipps even warning that if Taiwan is locked out it could ignite a dispute like the “PIF split” which plunged the organisation into chaos in 2021.
Whipps said he had heard Taiwan was having “some difficulty gaining access” to the meeting, and stressed that it was critical Palau be able to hold meetings with its diplomatic partner in Honiara.
Last month, China donated USD$1 million to the Solomon Islands Government for the purchase of 27 cars that will be used by leaders at the summit.
Australia is also providing dozens of vehicles and cybersecurity support to help Solomon Islands host the high-profile Pacific leaders’ meeting.
This year’s summit will address critical issues such as climate change, sustainable development, regional security, and economic resilience.
